Gary Jones - Google+ Public Postshttps://plus.google.com/107797393918331996139https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bkFxa3gwvvw/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAPs/zj0D-gQAmXg/photo.jpg?sz=50Pluss - Google+ Feed Proxy2015-08-02T19:04:57ZGary Joneshttps://plus.google.com/107797393918331996139pbs.twimg.com/media/CLa-TNAXAAEd7YX.jpg2015-08-02T19:04:57Z2015-08-02T19:04:57Ztag:plus.google.com,2015-08-02:/z12myduo0z25zffpn04ce11gfte0sdypd2g
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An earlier post linked to a discussion of a "General Factor of Correctness" http://slatestarcodex...2015-08-02T01:58:25Z2015-08-02T01:58:25Ztag:plus.google.com,2015-08-02:/z12fvhxaxsacsrbnw22kcf2yeka2jpecn
<div>An earlier post linked to a discussion of a &quot;General Factor of Correctness&quot; <a href="http://slatestarcodex.com/2015/07/23/the-general-factor-of-correctness/">http://slatestarcodex.com/2015/07/23/the-general-factor-of-correctness/</a> and likened it to the general factor of intelligence, IQ.<br /><br />Perhaps it is as much a skill as a talent.﻿</div>
<div><a href="http://goodjudgmentproject.com/blog/?p=273">Six Lessons about Crowd Prediction | </a>
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I read odd things.﻿2015-08-01T02:50:32Z2015-08-01T02:50:32Ztag:plus.google.com,2015-08-01:/z12wwn0xktqte5iu522kcf2yeka2jpecn
<div>I read odd things.﻿</div>
<div><a href="http://vegetablepharm.blogspot.com/2015/06/this-is-your-gut-on-potatoes.html">This is Your Gut on Potatoes...</a>
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"The death of Popperian Science"2015-07-31T17:00:43Z2015-07-31T17:00:43Ztag:plus.google.com,2015-07-31:/z13dh1jyvoeru1luu22kcf2yeka2jpecn
<div><i>&quot;The death of Popperian Science</i>&quot;<br /><br /><i>&quot;We are witnessing the death of Popperian science owing to science journalists, with their focus on &quot;evidence&quot;, not realizing that science doesn’t establish positive &quot;evidence&quot;, but largely negative one. If scientific consensus were gospel, we would still be stuck in the dark ages (imagine someone using against Einstein the argument of &quot;this goes against consensus&quot;). Science journalists are reversing the logic of things, which is why we may be entering a new age of ignorance. Arguing for infallibility (opposite of Popperian fallibilism) brings us back to councils of cardinals and ayatollahs deciding on truth. Journalists make a fallacy of aggregation: science is not an aggregation of scientists, but the upper bound of constantly emerging insights. In fact it is the same as with markets, where going with consensus makes you poor, since markets are driven by a minority of winners. (Note the miracle of Popperianism is that statistical theory is fully compatible with Popperian falsification as we never really &quot;accept&quot;, just &quot;fail to reject&quot;).&quot;</i><br /><br />He&#39;s a drama queen but he has a point.﻿</div>
<div><a href="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/50282823/response.pdf">dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/50282823/response.pdf</a>
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"Though this study doesn't yet identify the mechanism that controls gene activity for generations...2015-07-31T14:52:24Z2015-07-31T14:52:24Ztag:plus.google.com,2015-07-31:/z13sftro5l2dedmd222kcf2yeka2jpecn
<div><i>&quot;Though this study doesn&#39;t yet identify the mechanism that controls gene activity for generations after a famine, the findings build a foundation to do so, Baugh said. The alteration of gene activity, called epigenetics, might result from modification of RNA molecules that interact with genes; a modification of the packaging that carries DNA; molecular switches attached directly to the DNA itself; or even something to do with the cell&#39;s power-stations, the mitochondria, Baugh said.&quot;</i><br /><br /><i>&quot;Whatever the epigenetic control turns out to be, it is clearly handed down across generations.&quot;</i><br /><br />I&#39;ve read of this for plants and higher animals too. Even humans. It would be interesting to identify the mechanisms involved.<br /><br />For cattlemen this is of significant economic importance. Cows that are malnourished during gestation throw calves that do poorly, and their daughters throw poor calves too. Given the productive life of such a poor doing daughter that can mean a decade of poor calves. That&#39;s a steep price to pay.﻿</div>
<div><a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-07/du-seh073115.php">Starvation effects handed down for generations</a>
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"This country will build almost 11 GW of new coal power plants this decade, and is in the...2015-07-31T12:51:55Z2015-07-31T12:51:55Ztag:plus.google.com,2015-07-31:/z12gxx0xst3me3sag04ce11gfte0sdypd2g
<div><i>&quot;This country will build almost 11 GW of new coal power plants this decade, and is in the process of licensing new lignite coal mines. It prematurely shut down 8 zero-carbon nuclear power plants in 2011, closed another one this year, and will prematurely close all remaining nuclear power plants by 2022. Germans have reassured themselves by turning from the disturbing vision of the split atom to the nostalgia of coal fires.&quot;</i><br /><br />This is what bothers me about environmentalists. The environment itself is of no concern to them so long as their movement gains power. They are all hat.﻿</div>
<div><a href="https://carboncounter.wordpress.com/2015/07/31/germany-gets-only-3-3-of-its-energy-consumption-from-wind-and-solar-ignore-the-headlines/">Germany gets only 3.3% of its energy consumption from wind and solar. Ignore the headlines</a>
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"the journal specifically requests non-balanced articles of only recent research, then puts out...2015-07-30T18:21:40Z2015-07-30T18:21:40Ztag:plus.google.com,2015-07-30:/z13bjlzj5uzkszjb504ce11gfte0sdypd2g
<div><i>&quot;the journal specifically requests non-balanced articles of only recent research, then puts out hyped press releases without saying this, frightening millions of people. To me, scientific “opinions” should be based on a dispassionate analysis of the whole relevant evidence-base, and this is simply irresponsible, and it should change.&quot;</i><br /><br />That would be better, but rigged articles are SOP and always have been. Journals are entertainment, like all media. One should not confuse science with scientists, experts with expertise or peer review with critical analysis.﻿</div>
<div><a href="http://nutsci.org/2013/07/15/artificial-opinions/">Artificial Opinions - nutsci.org</a>
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"Solar power has two main problems: it’s expensive, and it’s intermittent, since the output of a...2015-07-30T13:20:08Z2015-07-30T13:20:08Ztag:plus.google.com,2015-07-30:/z122cjqqcsjidjp0s22kcf2yeka2jpecn
<div><i>&quot;Solar power has two main problems: it’s expensive, and it’s intermittent, since the output of a solar power plant depends on the time of day and cloud cover.&quot;</i>...<br /><br /><i>&quot;it’s easier and far cheaper to store heat produced by the mirrors in a concentrated solar plant than to store electricity from solar panels. Some solar-thermal power plants are equipped with heat-storage equipment that allows them to generate steam even after the sun goes down.&quot;</i>...<br /><br /><i>&quot;The new salt and glass materials, which Halotechnics discovered by using a high-throughput screening process to sort through nearly 18,000 mixtures, could reduce the cost of solar-thermal power in several ways. They allow solar-thermal plants to operate at higher temperatures, thus improving their efficiency and reducing the size of the mirror array needed by up to about 25 percent. The materials store up to three times more energy than heat storage materials used now&quot;</i>...<br /><br /><i>&quot;Operating at such high temperatures, however, will bring engineering challenges, including finding relatively inexpensive materials to contain the molten glass. Commercialization of this technology could be many years away.&quot;</i><br /><br />It&#39;s not clear that the energy storage problems of wind and solar can be solved, but there&#39;s interesting work in materials science being done in pursuit of that goal.﻿</div>
<div><a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/news/427190/cheap-solar-power-at-night/">Cheap Solar Power at Night | MIT Technology Review</a>
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"Private and public messages can now travel longer distances by hopping between FireChat users...2015-07-30T13:01:03Z2015-07-30T13:01:03Ztag:plus.google.com,2015-07-30:/z131xnagjuazunyan04ce11gfte0sdypd2g
<div><i>&quot;Private and public messages can now travel longer distances by hopping between FireChat users until they get to the intended recipient—an approach known as mesh networking. Messages are encrypted as they travel through intermediate devices.&quot;</i>...<br /><br /><i>&quot;Copies of a new message fan out across the network of linked devices searching for a way to reach its recipient; cleanup algorithms later tidy up versions that don’t make it. If a message reaches a phone with FireChat that does have access to the Internet, it will also try and route the message that way like a regular messaging app.&quot;</i>...<br /><br />Then all of the batteries die and the alt net goes dark.﻿</div>
<div><a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/news/539736/messaging-app-weaves-smartphones-into-an-alternative-internet/">Offline Chat App FireChat Now Able to Connect Phones Beyond Line of Sight | MIT Technology Review</a>
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"For all who are interested in better long-term U.S. economic performance, rolling back...2015-07-29T17:09:45Z2015-07-29T17:09:45Ztag:plus.google.com,2015-07-29:/z13pzlxh2kjttrus222kcf2yeka2jpecn
<div><i>&quot;For all who are interested in better long-term U.S. economic performance, rolling back regressive regulation is the low-hanging fruit. Reforming these policies is something we know will make a positive difference, and by “we” I mean the vast majority of disinterested experts. Unfortunately, though, this lowhanging fruit is guarded by “dragons”—the powerful interest groups that benefit from the status quo, all of which can be counted upon to defend their privileges tenaciously.&quot;</i>﻿</div>
<div><a href="http://www.cato.org/publications/white-paper/low-hanging-fruit-guarded-dragons-reforming-regressive-regulation-boost-us">Low-Hanging Fruit Guarded by Dragons: Reforming Regressive Regulation to Boost U.S. Economic Growth</a>
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